The District Warriors Philippines of Quezon City’s first district fought for flag and country and emerged victorious in the Mutant 2024 Cahaya Lestari Surabaya (CLS) Cup International Invitational League Under-23 Senior Basketball Boys’ Division in Indonesia last Saturday.
The District Warriors, backed by Quezon City 1st District Rep. Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde, withstood a late rally by the ACBA Tigers Sydney for a 75-71 win in a tightly contested championship game that featured five players from the winning side scoring in double figures.
Atayde commended the team for winning the international tourney.
“I salute this team for showing the world how Filipinos respond to pressure and adversity. Hindi sila bumigay, hindi sila bumitaw, ‘yan ang pusong Pinoy,” Atayde said.
The District Warriors, coached by Dale Lacorte and Vis Valencia, raced to a 74-65 lead with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers countered with a huge run to cut the deficit to 74-71.
The Aussies had a chance to tie the score following a turnover by the District Warriors, but an inspired defense by the Filipinos forced their opponent to cough up the ball, giving the eventual champions the final possession.
A split free throw by the Filipinos with two seconds left sealed the game for the Filipino cagers.
Atayde, a member of the Youth and Sports Development Committee in the House of Representatives, praised all the players and the coaches for working cohesively as a unit to finish the single-round, weeklong tournament on top with a 5-1 win-loss record.
The District Warriors were paced by Custodio Lastra Jr. with 13 points, as well as Christopher Ang (11), Christian Jake Agoncillo (10), Warren Calara (10) and Jeremiah Guzman (10).
The other members of the team are Ryan Arceo, Danren Nepomuceno, Joeben Loria, Patrick Buena, and Andrei Diaz, along with team coordinator Carl Lorenz Eserjose.
Funded by Atayde, the District Warriors Philippine team is composed of players selected during a series of tryouts from Atayde’s D1 Basketball League.
Atayde, a known sports aficionado, also supports other sports like fencing, football and volleyball, among other sporting disciplines.
